Re: [NTLK] OT Kilometers

From: Robert Benschop (rbenschop_at_telebyte.nl)
Date: Sat May 01 2004 - 23:50:05 PDT


On 1-mei-04, at 23:05, Len Cole wrote:
> For all the metric system's regularity, precise definition of units
> and ease of conversion between units of the same measurement, isn't it
> odd that time has not successfully been "metricized" !?

It has, but only later, which is why you have to go very fast to notice
(like a hundredth of a second in sports...)

> I wonder why? Who says there has to be 60 minutes in one hour, twenty
> four hours in one day, seven days in one week, or twelve months in a
> year. Our calendar is far from precise yet attempts to turn it into a
> decimal system have not been met with a lot of enthusiasm.

Would surely make for easier counting, but given the resistance against
metric (to my surprise even on this list) can't see it coming anytime
soon.

> Cooking in metric is a laughable joke. Go to your flour canister and
> grab me 250 grams of flower! Now grab me a quarter cup of flour. The
> same can be said for any dry or liquid volume of an ingredient used in
> cooking.

I'm completely puzzled and can only guess this is because you don't
have all in metric. Because over here (Holland) everything is, from the
cookbooks up to the measuring devices, your comment strikes me as very
strange. Again, it's what you're used to.

> How much does an egg weigh? Is that with or without the shell.
> (Believe it or not, New York State Department of Agriculture, for one,
> has values for the weights of the various sizes of eggs.) One of the
> selling points of the metric system has been its accuracy. Like the
> hens are listening!

Can't believe you do eggs by weight in imperial, my pancakes take 4
eggs. No weight of course.

As for people quoting poorly converted measuring systems (like in
Toronto), that what they are, poorly converted systems...

Robert Benschop

(Indulging a bit in OT because it in the weekend so less traffic, won't
continue this thread myself on Monday)

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